deckhearth/.convoys/unify-glass-panel-surfaces/brief-3-floating-popovers.md

convoy	brief_number	depends_on	files
unify-glass-panel-surfaces	3	1	components/Layout.js components/ui/TopSearchBar.js test/components/Layout.test.js

Brief 3: Migrate floating popovers to .glass-panel-strong

Goal (1 sentence)

Migrate three floating surfaces — the sidebar profile dropdown, the mobile drawer, and the TopSearchBar <UserMenu> dropdown — from inline var(--glass-surface-*) + backdropFilter styles to the canonical .glass-panel-strong className, while preserving their existing box-shadow chains (ember rim for the profile dropdown; pronounced elevation for the drawer) via inline override.

Files in scope (do not edit anything else)

• components/Layout.js
  • Sidebar profile dropdown panel (currently around L88-96 inside <UserProfileDropdown>).
  • Mobile drawer slide-in panel (currently around L698-709 — the <div> that takes ${isMobileMenuOpen ? 'translate-x-0' : '-translate-x-full'} and the style={{ background: 'var(--glass-surface-mid)', backdropFilter: '...', ... }} block).
  • Do NOT touch the sidebar nav-chip block (around L858-861); that block intentionally uses full-intensity chrome corner lights and stays handrolled — Decision 4 of this convoy's Architecture allowlists it explicitly.
• components/ui/TopSearchBar.js
  • <UserMenu> dropdown panel (around L214-222 — the absolutely-positioned <div> with the background: 'var(--glass-surface-high)' + backdropFilter block).
  • Do NOT touch the TopSearchBar <header> block itself; that block also intentionally uses full-intensity chrome corner lights and is allowlisted.
• test/components/Layout.test.js
  • Add regression-lock assertions that the sidebar profile dropdown and mobile drawer render with .glass-panel-strong in their className.

Out of scope: the rest of Layout.js (<DesktopSidebar>, <MobileNavigation>, <UserProfileDropdown> trigger button, <DailyEmberWidget>, etc.), the rest of TopSearchBar.js (search input, <CommandPaletteModal> link, etc.), and any deeper menu-item styling (e.g. hover:bg-gray-50 dark:hover:bg-gray-700 cleanup — that's owned by PR #117 / design-sweep-pass).

Conventions to follow

• Verbatim replacement for each floating-surface <div>:

  A. Sidebar profile dropdown panel (Layout.js)

  // Before:
  <div
    className="absolute bottom-full left-0 right-0 mb-2 rounded-xl z-20"
    style={{
      background: 'var(--glass-surface-high)',
      backdropFilter: 'blur(var(--glass-blur-mid)) saturate(var(--glass-saturate))',
      WebkitBackdropFilter: 'blur(var(--glass-blur-mid)) saturate(var(--glass-saturate))',
      boxShadow: 'var(--rim-light-inner), var(--ember-rim-subtle), var(--elevation-ambient)',
    }}
  >
  
  // After:
  <div
    className="glass-panel-strong absolute bottom-full left-0 right-0 mb-2 rounded-xl z-20"
    style={{
      boxShadow:
        'var(--rim-light-inner), var(--ember-rim-subtle), var(--elevation-ambient)',
    }}
  >
  

  The background + backdropFilter + WebkitBackdropFilter inline styles are removed (the class provides them). The boxShadow is preserved as an inline override because .glass-panel-strong ships only var(--rim-light-inner), var(--elevation-ambient) — we need the var(--ember-rim-subtle) middle entry to keep the ember emphasis the dropdown is known for.

  B. Mobile drawer panel (Layout.js)

  // Before:
  <div
    className={`
      md:hidden fixed inset-y-0 left-0 z-50 w-64 transform transition-transform duration-300 ease-in-out
      ${isMobileMenuOpen ? 'translate-x-0' : '-translate-x-full'}
    `}
    style={{
      background: 'var(--glass-surface-mid)',
      backdropFilter: 'blur(var(--glass-blur-mid)) saturate(var(--glass-saturate))',
      WebkitBackdropFilter: 'blur(var(--glass-blur-mid)) saturate(var(--glass-saturate))',
      boxShadow: 'var(--rim-light-inner), var(--rim-light-outer), var(--elevation-pronounced)',
    }}
  >
  
  // After:
  <div
    className={`
      glass-panel-strong md:hidden fixed inset-y-0 left-0 z-50 w-64 transform transition-transform duration-300 ease-in-out
      ${isMobileMenuOpen ? 'translate-x-0' : '-translate-x-full'}
    `}
    style={{
      boxShadow:
        'var(--rim-light-inner), var(--rim-light-outer), var(--elevation-pronounced)',
    }}
  >
  

  Same pattern. boxShadow is preserved as an inline override so the drawer keeps its var(--elevation-pronounced) (heavier) elevation

  • var(--rim-light-outer) (which .glass-panel-strong doesn't ship by default).

  C. TopSearchBar <UserMenu> dropdown panel

  // Before — the absolutely-positioned <div> nested inside UserMenu,
  // around L211-222 of TopSearchBar.js (verified against current file
  // 2026-06-04 during architect boot-the-brief recheck):
  <div
    role="menu"
    aria-label="Account menu"
    className="absolute right-0 top-full mt-2 w-56 rounded-xl z-30 overflow-hidden"
    style={{
      background: 'var(--glass-surface-high)',
      backdropFilter: 'blur(var(--glass-blur-mid)) saturate(var(--glass-saturate))',
      WebkitBackdropFilter: 'blur(var(--glass-blur-mid)) saturate(var(--glass-saturate))',
      boxShadow:
        'var(--rim-light-inner), var(--ember-rim-subtle), var(--elevation-pronounced)',
    }}
  >
  
  // After:
  <div
    role="menu"
    aria-label="Account menu"
    className="glass-panel-strong absolute right-0 top-full mt-2 w-56 rounded-xl z-30 overflow-hidden"
    style={{
      boxShadow:
        'var(--rim-light-inner), var(--ember-rim-subtle), var(--elevation-pronounced)',
    }}
  >
  

  Note: this dropdown uses --elevation-pronounced (not -ambient) — it's a heavier shadow than the sidebar profile dropdown's because it floats higher in the viewport over more content. Preserve that verbatim; do not normalize to -ambient. The role="menu" + aria-label="Account menu" + overflow-hidden attributes also stay byte-identical.

• Preserve all children verbatim. Menu items, dividers, icons, click handlers — all stay byte-identical.

• Do not touch the existing hover:bg-gray-50 dark:hover:bg-gray-700 classes on individual menu items. PR #117 (design-sweep-pass) is already migrating those to nav-item-hover; this brief MUST NOT duplicate that work or it'll merge-conflict. If PR #117 has already merged when this brief dispatches, the relevant lines may already read nav-item-hover — that's fine; just leave them alone.

• Test additions in test/components/Layout.test.js:

  • One assertion for the sidebar profile dropdown: render <Layout user={mockUser} />, simulate clicking the user-profile trigger to open the dropdown, assert the dropdown panel className contains 'glass-panel-strong'.
  • One assertion for the mobile drawer: render <Layout user={mockUser} />, simulate opening the drawer (today the test file already has a way to set isMobileMenuOpen; if not, render with the relevant prop / state directly), assert the drawer panel className contains 'glass-panel-strong'.
  • Use the existing test file's patterns (jsdom env, cleanup() afterEach, render + screen from @testing-library/react). Do NOT add new test dependencies. Do NOT lower any existing assertion in the file.

Acceptance criteria

• Sidebar profile dropdown panel uses className="glass-panel-strong ..." and carries an inline boxShadow with var(--rim-light-inner), var(--ember-rim-subtle), var(--elevation-ambient).
• Mobile drawer panel uses className="glass-panel-strong ..." and carries an inline boxShadow with var(--rim-light-inner), var(--rim-light-outer), var(--elevation-pronounced).
• TopSearchBar <UserMenu> dropdown panel uses className="glass-panel-strong ..." and carries an inline boxShadow with var(--rim-light-inner), var(--ember-rim-subtle), var(--elevation-pronounced).
• No inline background: 'var(--glass-surface-*)' or backdropFilter style remains on any of the three migrated <div>s.
• Sidebar nav-chip block (Layout.js ~L858-861) UNCHANGED. TopSearchBar <header> block UNCHANGED. (Architect's allowlist for chrome-tier surfaces.)
• test/components/Layout.test.js has at least 2 new assertions (sidebar dropdown + mobile drawer carry glass-panel-strong).
• npm run lint + npm run test:run (23+/23+, post Brief 1) pass.
• Manual: open sidebar profile dropdown, open mobile drawer, open TopSearchBar UserMenu dropdown in light + dark mode — all three render with visible corner catch-lights and the appropriate shadow elevation.
• No edits to files outside the 3 listed in files: above.

Rationale (≤3 sentences)

These three popovers are the most visible floating surfaces in the authenticated app and they predate the gradient-border system; migrating them is the largest visual-correctness win of the convoy after Brief 1. Preserving the existing box-shadow chains via inline override (rather than letting them snap to the class default) is non-negotiable — the var(--ember-rim-subtle) ember emphasis on the profile menu and the var(--elevation-pronounced) weight on the drawer are deliberate design choices that must survive the class swap.